masterofmagicfandomcom-20200216-history
Crusade
| rarity = Very Rare | type = Global Enchantment | casting_cost = | upkeep_cost = | research_cost = | effects = All friendly Normal Units and Heroes are 1 Experience Level higher than they otherwise would be. This allows "Elite" Normal Units to reach the otherwise unreachable "Ultra-Elite" level. With the Warlord Retort, Normal Units may now reach "Champion" level. }} Crusade is a Very Rare Global Enchantment belonging to the realm. For it may be cast on the overland map to increase the of each Normal Unit and Hero by +1, as long as the spell remains in effect. Normal Units who would otherwise be "Elite" are now "Ultra-Elite", an Experience Level not normally accessible to them. This spell is cumulative with the Warlord Retort, and together they can unlock the "Champion" level for Normal Units. Crusade requires an Upkeep Cost of per turn to maintain. It will continuously automatically affect all valid units, including those created after the spell was cast. If Crusade is removed or dispelled, all affected units return to the Experience Level they should have based on their current and/or other spell effects. Effects Crusade triggers a feeling of zeal in all friendly Normal Units and Heroes, allowing them to fight as though they were more Experienced than they otherwise are. This also allows units to eventually gain a higher Experience Level than they could ever hope to achieve without this spell. Bonus Experience Level While Crusade is in effect, each and every friendly Normal Unit and Hero is bumped up by exactly . "Recruit" units become "Regulars", "Regulars" become "Veterans", and so forth. This occurs automatically, and applies to every existing unit as well as any unit created after the casting of Crusade. Each unit receives bonuses appropriate for its new Experience Level. The unit's Experience points are not affected - they will continue to accumulate, and are still used to calculate the unit's "actual" . For example, a unit created with is considered "Regular" instead of "Recruit" (thus gaining combat bonuses appropriate for "Regular" level). It can then gain experience as normal, whether by sitting around or fighting battles. When it reaches , it would normally become a "Regular" unit, but while Crusade is in effect this unit will now become a "Veteran", again gaining the relevant bonuses from this level. If Crusade is dispelled, all units will revert to the Experience Level they would normally have - based on their accumulated Experience Points. Ultra-Elites and Champions Under normal circumstances, Normal Units reach their highest allowed Experience Level - - when they accumulate . At this point the unit ceases to accumulate any additional points, and thus will remain "Elite" for the remainder of its existence. With Crusade in effect, units with are nonetheless bumped up by a level, reaching the previously-inaccessible level of , gaining several additional bonuses as a result. The only other way for a unit to reach this high level is through the Warlord Retort (more on this below). Having both assets in play unlocks an even higher experience level for normal units, . Note that the unit still ceases to accumulate experience when it reaches . It cannot maintain "Ultra-Elite" status if Crusade is dispelled: since it has it will revert to being an "Elite" unit as soon as Crusade is gone. Demi-Gods Unlike Normal Units, Heroes can reach their highest attainable level simply by gaining experience. There are no extra levels to unlock for them. Since Crusade pushes experience requirements down by a level, they will achieve the ultimate rank of much sooner than normal, at . Any hero who has already attained "Demi-God" level at will feel no effect from Crusade, as he has nowhere to advance to. Crusade and Warlord The Crusade spell and the Warlord Retort are intimately related, as both have the exact same effect of raising the Experience Level of all units by +1. These two effects are completely cumulative. As a result, while a Warlord wizard has Crusade in play, each and every Normal Unit and Hero under his command will enjoy 2 extra above the unit's normal level. Therefore, with both effects in play, "Recruit" units are considered "Veterans", "Regulars" are considered "Elite", and so on. The spells are also cumulative in increasing the upper limit of Experience Levels. Units accumulating will now be "Champions" - gaining massive bonuses to their combat performance appropriately for this level. Even the weakest Normal Units can thus reach amazing combat potential. Crusade and Heroism Crusade also has a strong affinity with the other Experience-altering spell called Heroism. Normally, and whenever Heroism is cast ad hoc in combat for , the enchantment will raise a unit's level to , lasting until the spell is removed, combat ends, or until the unit accumulates on its own. With Crusade, an overland cast of Heroism will instead raise a unit's level to , thus making the spell far more potent! Again, the unit continues to accumulate experience points, and will eventually reach "Ultra-Elite" status on its own (at 120 experience points), at which point Heroism goes away in order to conserve . With both Crusade and the Warlord Retort in play, Heroism will instantly raise the targeted unit to level - the highest attainable level in the game. As explained above, this can instantly turn the weakest Normal Units into deadly warriors. Tables The (non-Hero) Ultra-Elite and Champion ranks confer the following attribute bonuses to every in the unit. : ; Units with lots of figures and low base scores, such as Bowmen, Spearmen, and Slingers, will achieve a drastic boost in performance. The increases ensure that even inherently-tough units with low figure-counts, like Dragon Turtles and Minotaurs, become a lot more dangerous. Crusade and Warlord modify the structure in the following manner: : : Usage Crusade may be cast only on the overland map, for the very high Casting Cost of . As long as the spell remains in effect, each and every friendly Normal Unit and Hero will feel its benefits, including units created before or after the spell was cast. Note that the act of casting this spell worsens your relationships with rival wizards, not as much as Spell of Mastery does though, so it's better to cast just before beginning the conquest of your opponents' lands. To keep Crusade in effect, the casting wizard must pay an Upkeep Cost of exactly per turn - regardless of how many Normal Units it is affecting. Failure to pay this cost due to lack of will cause the spell to dissipate. After casting the spell, its name will appear on the "Overland Enchantments" list in the Magic menu. The color in which the name is printed indicates which wizard controls the spell. If the player controls the spell, he or she may cancel it manually by clicking the name of the spell. The primary reason to do this would be in order to remove the spell's Upkeep Cost, thus conserving for other spells. Acquisition As a Very Rare spell, Crusade may become available to any Wizard who possesses at least Spellbooks. However, its availability during the game is not guaranteed unless the Wizard acquires at least Spellbooks. Crusade may not be acquired at the start of the campaign regardless of how many Spellbooks the wizard possesses. It must either be Researched during the game, or acquired through other means. Wizards with to Spellbooks have a random chance of being able to Research Crusade during the game. The chance for this spell to appear for research increases with the number of Spellbooks the Wizard possesses or obtains during gameplay. With or Spellbooks, the spell is guaranteed to appear for Research at some point, if it is not already available for casting. Crusade has a base Research Cost of . With at least Spellbooks, the Crusade spell may be acquired as a reward for winning encounters in creature Lairs, Towers, et cetera, or when conquering the Fortress of a rival wizard who has already researched this spell. Strategy Crusade is an absolutely crucial spell for any wizard who uses plenty of Normal Units and/or Heroes. Even the weakest units produced by non-upgraded Towns will become stronger, and units reaching will become exceptionally deadly. Needless to say, wizards who've picked the Warlord Retort will probably be looking high and low for this spell, as it will essentially double-up on the effect of this Retort. "Champion" Normal Units are significantly more powerful than most other Normal Units, and a whole army of them can smash through significant opposition with ease. Once you acquire it, try to keep Crusade in play all the time, if possible. Though there is no permanent loss when the spell is dispelled, you obviously want your units at their peak performance at all times. The bonuses bestowed by Crusade are so significant (especially to "Elite" units becoming "Ultra-Elite") that your army's overall strength drops significantly when the spell is lost. Cast it again as soon as you can. With Crusade in play, you have much more incentive to use the Heroism spell as well - on any newly-created unit going off to war. It may also be prudent to create Fighters' Guilds and War Colleges in every unit production center to ensure that new units are that much closer to "Ultra-Elite" status when they are created. Category:Global Enchantments Category:Life